Help

Newsletter

Guard Bradley Beal ideal when Gators needed a leader

Coach Donovan's call for freshman to step up has paid off late in season

Bill Haber Associated Press Florida guard Bradley Beal (23), shown playing against Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference tournament, has improved his play late in the season.

Florida coach Billy Donovan needed a leader following a 76-62 loss at Georgia on Feb. 25.

He empowered freshman guard Bradley Beal.

Donovan believed Beal was ready.

The numbers said he was and Donovan’s decision was correct, as Beal continues to produce.

Over the last 15 games, all against Southeastern Conference or NCAA tournament competition, Beal is averaging a team-leading 15.6 points and 7.8 rebounds a game. That’s a full point and rebound better than his season average.

There have been no Wright States or Jackson States over the span. As the season has become harder, Beal has become better.

His play and leadership are a major reason why the Gators (25-10) are back in the Sweet 16, despite losing Chandler Parsons, Vernon Macklin and Alex Tyus off last season’s squad. The 6-foot-3 Beal will lead seventh-seeded Florida in its West Region semifinal game against No. 3 seed Marquette (27-7) at 10:17 p.m. Thursday at the US Airways Center in Phoenix.

“I have to be a leader anyway regardless of how I’m playing, well or not good,” Beal said. “Even if things aren’t going well for me, I have to step up and accept the challenge and be a leader.”

Beal could’ve come to Florida with an arrogance not conducive to team success. He was the Gatorade National Player of the Year coming out of St. Louis Chaminade Prep. Rivals.com and ESPN.com ranked him as the nation’s fourth-overall prospect. Scout.com had Beal sixth. Still, after all the accolades and averaging over 32 points a game as a senior, Beal came to Florida looking to fit in.

Admittedly, he was timid and held back from aggressively pushing either his personality or skills on the team.

That changed after a meeting with Donovan. For the Gators to achieve, Beal had to become more assertive.

“I think the one thing that makes Brad such a special player is he’s really such a good team guy who understands team dynamics and chemistry,” Donovan said.

“I think Brad being a freshman from me needs a push a lot of times, because he never wants to step out of bounds and put our team chemistry ever in jeopardy. Sometimes he needs that push to let him know it’s OK.”

Beal leads the Gators in rebounding, steals, free-throws made and minutes this season. Over the last 15 games, Beal’s offensive production has improved as he’s been aggressive on the offensive glass and driving to the basket. In that span, Beal’s scoring average is two points higher than the team’s leading scorer, guard Kenny Boynton.

“For him, he’s always been a guy who has relied on his offense,” Donovan said. “I think he’s starting to see that there is so much more to his game. The way he rebounds. The way he passes and the way he’s attacking. Earlier in the year, he wasn’t attacking the basket and driving and putting it on the floor the way he is now.”

Beal came to UF hyped as a tremendous long-range shooter, but has struggled in that aspect of his game. Beal has made 58-of-176 3-point attempts for a 33-percent clip.

“The thing I’ve just tried to get through to him is stop worrying about your shot,” Donovan said. “You’re a freshman and most freshmen have their peaks and valleys shooting the basketball. You can do too many other things as a player that can really impact our team. I said start stepping up and start to be more aggressive. Start doing things out there that are going to impact the outcome of the game. Our team realizes that when he does those things it helps us tremendously. I just needed to keep pushing him toward that.”

For Florida to win two games in Phoenix to reach the Final Four in New Orleans, perhaps that last piece to Beal’s game will have to improve. He’s confident that despite UF winning its first two NCAA tourney games by a combined 60 points, the Gators have still not reached their full potential.

“I believe that we still have a lot more room [to improve],” Beal said. “There’s a lot more things that we’re capable of doing. We haven’t showed it yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to [happen] soon.”